The 'Saved at Death' Heresy - Brother Peter Dimond
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"This is Brother Peter Dimond. ( www.vaticancatholic.com )
I want to talk about the heretical idea and position that people who die outside the Catholic Church, or without faith in Christ, can be considered as possibly saved by a 'mysterious special revelation' that they supposedly receive at their death, or during the death event or while their soul is leaving their body.
And this heretical idea came up recently in a debate we had which is available on YouTube - it's a revealing debate with a defender of 'Salvation Outside the Church,' a heretical individual who believes that souls can be saved in non-Catholic religions, who agrees with priests who explicitly teach that pagans, Jews etc., can be saved; he also contradicts himself constantly as the debate shows - very interesting.
But one of the things he stated in the debate was the idea that 'we cannot consider people who die outside the Church in the external forum as necessarily lost, because they might be able to receive this 'mysterious internal forum - special revelation' at the death event, or as they are dying, during which Christ can give them an extra special chance to receive the Catholic faith, or choose yes or no.'
And this idea is obviously heretical, because the dogma of the Church declares that you must enter the Catholic Church and have the Catholic faith during your life - you cannot just receive it at death.
But there are some additional considerations on this point, and some very interesting ways to expose and condemn this truly demonic heresy.
It's truly demonic because it not only contradicts Catholic teaching, but if it were true, then everyone could get a second chance after their deaths or even at the General Judgement - people who die in mortal sin etc.
Now, the first point to consider in refuting and condemning this heresy, is the dogma declared by Pope Eugene IV, that 'all outside the Catholic Church go to Hell, unless they come into the Church, 'ante finem vitae,' that is before the end of life.
That's the dogmatic teaching of the Church. You must enter the Church before the end of life.
You cannot just enter the Church or receive the faith at death, and in fact, it's very interesting that during the aforementioned debate, the heretical individual let his true position come out at the 18 minute mark when he said, " Everybody who dies in that state," and he was referring to those ignorant of Christ and the Catholic faith, "who is of good will, at that point, God gives them the grace to know Christ."
So, what he really believes in, heretics who think like him, is that people who die outside the Catholic Church, get a second chance during their judgements, but they attempt to veil the heresy with the terminology "at death' or "at the moment of death."
Anyway the dogma that you must enter the Church 'ante finem vitae,' contradicts the 'at death heresy.'
The next point that we shall consider in this regard, is the fact that according to Catholic teaching, for example, the same dogmatic definition promulgated by Eugene IV and the Council of Florence, Catholics are not permitted to conclude that individuals who did not die as Catholics in the external forum are possibly saved.
In Eugene IV's solemn dogmatic definition he says that 'the Holy Roman Church firmly believes, professes, and proclaims, that none of those existing outside the Catholic Church.' - note that this is what the Church professes and proclaims or preaches. And this profession or proclamation refers to those outside the Church in the external forum.
Therefore, to say that someone who is outside the Church in the external forum, as the aforementioned heretical individual stated, such as a pagan or a Jew, could be considered as 'possibly saved' in this 'unknown special mysterious revelation,' is directly contrary to what the Catholic Church infallibly preaches and teaches.
You are not permitted to preach, teach or proclaim that people who are not in the Church in the external forum could be considered 'possibly saved.'
So everyone you consider as 'possibly saved,' you must therefore argue that they were in the Church in the external forum.
So if you say that a Jew or a pagan could be considered as possibly saved in this 'unknown special mysterious revelation,' you have to say that a Jew or a pagan was in the Church in the external forum, without faith in Christ, and that's heresy!
Moreover, in this context it should be emphasized, that dogmas are just not perceptive norms for acting, that is the dogma is not just something we teach and preach and go by, but it might not be true in God's sight.
No, this is a dogma that is infallibly true in God's sight. It is what we internally believe and know to be true.
But in emphasizing what the dogma says, the Church preaches and teaches, because doing so, shows that preaching or teaching that people who are not Catholic in the external forum can be considered as 'possibly saved,' is directly contrary to what the Church infallibly preaches and teaches.
Now, this is also significant, because whenever talking about someone whose time of death is unknown or whose final days are unknown, or whose decisions on his deathbed were unknown because you weren't there, unless there is evidence in the external forum, in view of the Church, that those individuals entered the Church, embraced the Catholic faith, you're not permitted to preach or teach that they were possibly saved.
That eliminates this idea that since we weren't there, when some Muslim went to his death in a hospital, that he can be considered as possibly saved.
No, unless you are in the Church, in view of the Church, the Church cannot consider you as 'possibly saved.'
The Church preaches that all those who are Outside the Church, in the external forum, are lost, and that's why this 'mysterious special revelation' heresy, is directly contrary to Catholic preaching and teaching.
It's also interesting, that this 'at death,' 'after death,' 'special revelation' heresy, in the internal forum for people who are not Catholic in the external forum, is not only applied to people who die in bed in a hospital, but they would apply it to people who die suddenly.
For instance, Hindus who die suddenly in car accidents, or Muslims who die suddenly in earthquakes, or a Jew who might die suddenly from a heart attack in a synagogue, they would say that any of those people can be considered as possibly saved, even though they died as non-Catholics in the external forum, and that is completely heretical.
The idea that an unbaptized person can be saved through some special mystery revelation at death or after death, is obviously contrary to the dogmatic teaching on the necessity of the Sacrament of Baptism, but we're discussing other ways to refute the heresy without even covering the necessity of water baptism.
The next point that I want to cover, which might be the most interesting on this particular issue, is the fact that the Athanasian Creed, also from the Council of Florence, dogmatically declared that "whoever wishes to be saved, it is necessary before all, that he hold the Catholic faith, which unless each one shall have preserved, whole and undefiled, he will without a doubt perish in eternity."
The Athanasian Creed is a dogmatic creed. The Council of Florence infallibly promulgate it.
Now, note the words, "which unless each one shall have preserved, whole and undefiled, he will without a doubt perish in eternity."
Many translations of this, say, "which unless each one preserves whole and undefiled."
But, a better translation of the Latin, the accurate translation of the Latin, is "shall have preserved."
The Council uses the Latin word "servaverit," which means "shall have preserved," the third person future perfect indicative active of the verb "servare," which means "to preserve or keep."
Now, this is extremely important. The Council uses the verb "servare," to preserve or keep. That means that it's not sufficient for salvation to simply receive the faith during an "at death" or "after death" revelation, in which one passively receives the revelation of Christ, or even chooses yes or no to Christ at the last moment.
No, one must keep and preserve the Catholic faith during one's life, before one's death, and maintain it, that is preserve it for a real and identifiable time period thereafter, even if it is a short period of time.
In fact, it's even more interesting, because the Latin Creed's use of the future perfect indicative, "shall have preserved," emphasises and demonstrates that not only must the believer preserve the faith, until death, but he must already have preserved it when he reaches death.
This could not be done if his conversion took place at the very moment of death, and obviously not "after death."
That dogmatic declaration, that each one needs to have preserved the faith to be saved, crushes the "at death" "after death" heresy.
Another point that's worthy of consideration, is the fact that in the New Testament, when a special or extraordinary revelation of Jesus Christ or His faith is given to convert someone, either by Christ Himself or by an angel, the person who receives that extraordinary or special revelation is always taken to the baptizing Church.
For example, in Acts chapter 8, an angel specifically directs Philip to the eunuch of Candace, and the eunuch was baptized, as we read in the Acts of the Apostles.
In Acts 9, when Paul was given his special revelation from Jesus Christ, Paul was sent to the baptizing Church, and he was baptized.
In Acts, Chapter 10, when Cornelius was given a special revelation from an angel, he was sent to St. Peter and he was baptized.
That's what scripture teaches us about "special" or "extraordinary" revelations of Christ and His faith, the recipient is always taken to the baptizing Church and baptized in water.
So, those are just a few additional points and considerations to isolate, refute, expose and condemn the demonic "at death," "after death" heresy, which is obviously been concocted by Satan, in an attempt to empty the Church's infallible dogmatic teaching, that you must enter the Church and have the Catholic faith during your life, of it's meaning."
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